The superior person is like water, bringing benefit to all without competing.

To see nothing is to perceive the Way, and to understand nothing is to know the Dharma.

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken.

The true purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes.

Enlightenment is not the end of change but the end of resistance to change.

Understanding at the intellectual level is not enough. There must be experience at the actual level.

When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the face of the earth.

Panic is a gateway to wisdom. When we learn to stay present with our panic, it becomes our teacher.

Vipassana is the art of living. Not the art of escaping.

Buddhas and ordinary beings are not two. Enlightenment and delusion are not different paths.

True peace comes not from controlling the world, but from letting go of control.

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.

The essence of mind is empty like space; yet it contains all things, like a mirror.

As surely as there is a voyage away, there is a journey home.

Every thought, every word, and every action leaves an imprint on our mind.

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

Wisdom is not about accumulating knowledge, but about seeing through all knowledge.

The art of living... is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.

The role of Zen is neither to stand above life nor to run away from it, but to face it with a spirit of determination.

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.

The path is not about moving from one place to another. It's about recognizing where we already are.

Happiness is found in the simplest of things. It is not in the things you own, but in the love you share.

The ultimate source of happiness is not money and power, but warm-heartedness.

The past is for learning from, not for living in.

If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.

The practice of meditation is like tuning an instrument. Too tight, and the strings break. Too loose, and they won't play.

Meditation is not about getting rid of thoughts; it's about changing the way we relate to them.

When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.

Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.

The mind is like a room with many windows. Open them all and let the fresh air in.

The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.

The willingness to empty ourselves and then seek our true nature is an expression of great and courageous love.